The Subplot | Why the slow and steady Northern real estate market could be a winner

Wain Homes, Ion Property Developments, Cityheart, Placefirst, and Cole Waterhouse are among the firms to have recently added their voices to our calls for a solution to the North’s viability crisis. You can join them.

There is “no fundamental reason” the UK’s regional towns and cities cannot thrive as long as strong partnerships, creative thinking, and bravery are employed to unlock their potential, according to Legal & General.

Businesses from all corners of the built environment sector are throwing their weight behind a campaign to pressure government into providing grant funding to solve the North’s viability crisis. Have you signed up yet? 

For 18 years, Place has championed the property industry. Leverage our unrivalled understanding of the sector and take advantage of our expertise in content creation and event production to amplify your company’s brand and win new work.

Published yesterday, the draft bill sets out Labour’s intention to unshackle the North’s towns and cities. While it has been widely welcomed, leaders across the North are wary of the ‘distraction’ local government reorganisation could cause.

Billed as the ‘biggest transfer of power out of Westminster this century’, the white paper sets out how the government plans to put the destiny of England’s regions in their own hands. 

Mayors will be handed a suite of new powers to allow more decisions on planning, housing, and transport to be made locally, while district councils are to be scrapped as part of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s plan to allow towns and cities outside London to “take back control”.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has outlined the route to 100% clean electricity generation by the end of the decade – the North stands ready to benefit from the strategy.

Ollo will manage a portion of the developer’s growing portfolio of rental communities, including Eyewitness Works in Sheffield and Farnworth Green in Bolton.

Despite delays to the promised government reforms on planning, housing minister Matthew Pennycook has outlined ambitions to bring back regional spatial strategies. Plus: rent controls and Manchester offices.

Energy company EDF has committed a further £1.3bn investment into its five nuclear power stations in the UK, increasing the operational life of four facilities in the process.

In the North you are never too far away from a vibrant town or city. The short distances between growth locations provides an unrivalled opportunity for collaboration and synergy. This essential panel for anyone working in the Northern property market discusses how to make the most of it by maximising efficiencies and ensuring we are […]

More than 20,000 new homes could be built off the back of the investment, which aims to make it easier for SME developers to access credit. 

Placefirst and Place North will collaborate throughout 2025 to shine a light on the developer’s projects and bolster its mission to make a long-term difference in communities across the North.

32 so-called Homebuilding Skills Hubs will be created across the country, with places most in need of new houses prioritised.

The Labour stalwart, proud Welshman, and adopted Northerner died on 20 November, following a distinguished career that helped to reshape cities and regional development.

One of the country’s most active contractors, Morgan Sindall Construction will be returning to the international property expo in 2025 as part of the growing Place North delegation.

Be merry, shine bright, and don’t forget to schedule Place North’s Christmas Socials into your diaries.

The RIBA award-winning Stoller Hall swapped out live music for an intriguing Place North Question Time event, where political leaders, investors, and industry figures took to a panel to take questions from Place North’s editorial team and members of the audience.